


Through the Years...

by AlexaCardew



Series: STIUTK verse [4]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, future!Klaine, slight crossover (the new normal)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-30
Updated: 2013-03-30
Packaged: 2017-12-06 23:26:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/741408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexaCardew/pseuds/AlexaCardew
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follow Kurt and Blaine through the years. Epilogue to Somebody that I used to know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through the Years...

Summer 2013

Their first year in L.A had been a bit chaotic to say the least. As Kurt had predicted, he and Blaine were the only ones paying rent at first, while Santana was out doing god knows what and Brittany was trying to find work as a dancer.

Kurt's hours were crazy with recording songs for the show, dance rehearsals and filming and most days he just collapsed next to Blaine once he got home. It was rewarding though, especially once he started doing interviews and talked about his past because suddenly he was getting letters from teens going through similar things, telling him he was their idol. Once he had gotten a twitter account, he got even more messages and though he sometimes felt a bit overwhelmed when people told him they looked up to him, he was glad his story was helping other kids.

Blaine was busy as well his first year at UCLA – joining as many clubs as possible and taking shifts at the restaurant he had worked at before. When Kurt was at work, he often hung out with Cooper, who unfortunately was still struggling to find a decent job, or with other members of a choir group he had joined.

They tried to make time to hang out with all their friends in L.A. – Kurt encouraging Mercedes to find a bar to sing in and Blaine advising Puck to take business classes to help him expand his pool cleaning business – went back to Ohio for Thanksgiving and Christmas and hosted Burt and Carole in L.A a few times. During one of those visits in early March, Burt announced that he had asked Carole to marry him and that they would get married in July.

Kurt wanted to volunteer his help, but he just didn't have the time to fly back and forth, especially because they were doing a few concerts with the cast in June and July.

It was Blaine who came up with the idea to use the current and former members of New Directions as entertainment for the wedding and Kurt immediately agreed because it had been a while since he had seen everyone.

When their lease ended, they agreed to renew it for another year because Kurt was barely home anyway and Blaine liked having company when he studied or did homework. Kurt invited all his friends to their season one wrap party, where they celebrated Blaine and Mercedes finishing their first year of college and Kurt's show being renewed for two more season. It was Santana though who had the biggest surprise of the night. She announced that she had gotten into UCLA and was going to do pre-law. Kurt had been surprised, but kept his mouth shut and raised his glass to Santana.

Six weeks later, he and Blaine are standing in the McKinley High auditorium to rehearse their songs for the wedding. It feels great seeing the rest of the group again, the people he hasn't seen in over a year. There are kids he doesn't know, the ND newbies as Tina and Artie call them, but they know him if the not so subtle glances in his direction are anything to go by.

Later on, when they are satisfied with the way they sound, they all head out to Breadstix to catch up. Finn has brought his girlfriend of the month, a tall redhead named Carly, while Rachel has brought Jesse St. James. Kurt keeps an eye on Finn because he knows how he feels about Rachel dating her ex-boyfriend again, but fortunately no one causes any trouble.

He forgets the names of the new kids as soon as they tell him, concentrating on his friends who only just graduated. They discover that Artie is joining them in L.A come fall, going for a double mayor in screen writing and directing and that Tina has gotten into school in Chicago for Stage Management and that she and Mike are trying to give their relationship another shot.

Everyone but the L.A gang is surprised to hear that Puck is attending community college so he can get a business degree and that Santana wants to be a lawyer.

Quinn shows up late to their dinner, after having missed their rehearsal, telling everyone about her engagement who asks about the ring on her finger. Kurt isn't sure how serious she is because they are a bit young to get married and also wonders what she is doing at Yale if she had time to find a potential husband.

Mercedes comes up to him a bit later looking sad and after some prodding she tells him that Sam will attend OSU in the fall and that they've decided to break up because one year apart was hard enough.

Two days later, Kurt, Blaine and Finn head to the Lima Pacific Pavilion together where they are meeting up with the rest of New Directions. The service is nice, and thankfully without a lot of religious mumbo-jumbo and Kurt does feel touched when Finn calls him and Blaine his new bros.

They dance through the night with the happy couple before Kurt pulls Burt aside. "I know you wouldn't accept any checks my dad sent before, but he's been sending more since Christmas and I want you to take that money and use it for a honeymoon for you and Carole," he tells Burt once they are alone and when Burt starts to argue, Kurt cuts him off.

"We both know that I make enough money now to cover my living expenses so please let me do this for you. This is not about me paying you back for letting me stay with you – I just want to do something nice for you and Carole."

It takes another two days to fully convince Burt, but in the end he gives in and he and Carole get last minutes tickets to Paris, because Carole has always wanted to go.

Kurt's a bit jealous of course, because he has always wanted to visit Paris as well, but he also knows that he makes enough money now that he and Blaine can go there as well in the foreseeable future.

They head back to Los Angeles after the wedding, Finn coming with them because he has never been before, where they just relax and hang out with their friends during the few weeks Kurt has off, before they start filming his second season.

For the first time in his life, he thinks he actually misses Ohio, because he misses his privacy, misses being able to go out with Blaine without having to look out for paparazzi. He doesn't mind people coming up to him as long as they are friendly and don't invade his personal space, but some days he does wish to be anonymous again, as much as he loves his new life.

January 2014

Blaine couldn't be prouder of his boyfriend when the nominees for the Golden Globes are announced. Kurt's show is only in it's second season and while the show has been nominated as well, Kurt is the only cast member to have received a nomination.

His boyfriend is of course convinced he is never going to win anyway so he doesn't even prepare a speech, but Blaine has seen the episode Kurt is nominated for too many times to count and he is certain his boyfriend has a real chance of taking home the best supporting actor trophy.

It's not their first award show, after attending the Emmys, and Blaine is glad to see that them appearing together isn't such a big deal this . Now that their relationship is pretty much old news, they can both relax a bit and Kurt actually gets to talk about the show when he is being interviewed on the red carpet instead of being asked about his date.

Bryan and his fiancé David have brought their eight and a half months pregnant surrogate and her daughter and when he looks at them he just knows that he wants to have what they have one day with Kurt. But they are both only twenty so he is aware that there is no rush, that they have all the time in the world to enjoy their lives as they are.

There are so many people Blaine admires and he knows he could use Kurt's fame and go introduce himself, but he stays right next to Kurt at all times, hoping to one day meet his idols when has managed to make a name for himself as well.

When Kurt's category comes up, Kurt is clutching his hand so hard, Blaine is afraid for the circulation in his hand for a moment. They don't kiss in public so much anymore, now that Kurt is famous, but when he is announced the winner, he can't help himself and kisses Kurt right in front of the camera filming Kurt's reaction, ignoring that millions of people all over the world are watching them.

Kurt looks paler than usual when he pretty much stumbles on stage, deer caught in headlights look on his face, but then he straightens up and gives the audience his most dazzling smile.

"Ah, wow. I really didn't expect that. You can ask my boyfriend who kept trying to force me to write an acceptance speech just in case. Never in a million years did I ever expect to stand up here one day, not with my past and people telling me I'm wrong most of my life. I want to thank the two most important people in my life first. My boyfriend Blaine and his dad Burt who have taken me in and made me part of their family when I was at my worst.

And I want to thank Bryan Collins for casting me in the role that I always say would have been my life if Burt Hummel had been my father. I want to thank everyone who ever believed in me – my old Glee club and my teacher Ms. Corcoran, Ulrich Roberts for inviting me to an audition, my brother Cooper, without whom I would have never come to L.A in the first place.

I hope this award shows all the kids out there who are or were in situations similar to mine that it can indeed get better. Please don't keep quiet when someone is hurting you, because if you are lucky you will find the people in your life that really care about you. And to all the people who have told me no my whole life. Screw you. And before the music is going to kick me off stage, I want to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for giving me this award."

By the time Kurt finishes and is escorted behind the stage, Blaine has tears in his eyes. He really hopes his dad is watching back home, that everyone who loves Kurt is watching and maybe more importantly, that those who have put him down in the past are watching. He wants everyone to see how amazing his boyfriend is and that no one gets to push Kurt around anymore.

Kurt's eyes are a bit red as well when he returns to his seat a while later, but he doesn't get to stay seated long as SING takes home the award for best show in the musical category as well.

After the award show is over, they all get together to celebrate, but their celebrations are cut short when Bryan and David's surrogate's water breaks during a toast to the cast and crew of SING.

He and Kurt agree to watch her daughter while Kurt's boss rushes the young woman to the hospital and though the evening doesn't end the way he has envisioned it – they have booked at room at the Beverly Hilton to ensure their privacy – the night is still magical in his eyes because they end up seeing Bryan and David's baby boy only hours after he is born.

"One day that's going to be us, right?" Kurt asks when they are finally back home and fall into bed together. Blaine just pulls him closer until Kurt's head is resting on his chest. 

"There's nothing I would want more."

May 2016

Burt, Carole, Finn and all their friends show up for Blaine's graduation in early May and help them the next day with the move to their very first house. It's in a nicer part of town though they still chose a small one because they want to stay down to earth and not become a Hollywood cliché.

Kurt's so proud of his boyfriend who has gotten an offer to compose the score for an independent movie right out of college, but he hadn't been worried in the first place because Blaine has written plenty of music for student films while he was in college.

They both have six weeks off thankfully as Kurt for once doesn't have to do concerts with the cast of SING and he can't wait for their trip to Europe. Money hasn't been an issue for a while now, but they had both decided to wait until they had enough time to spend a month for a Eurotrip.

Before they go however, there is something he will have to take care of in Ohio. Kurt had been contacted by the Ohio Department of Corrections a few weeks earlier about his father's parole hearing and had been informed that his father wanted to speak with him. He and Blaine had debated for a few days whether Kurt should actually do it or not, but in the end he had decided that he wanted to so he could finally have real closure.

They fly back with the family after they spent a few days in L.A., settling into Blaine's old room in the Hudmel home now that sharing it is not an issue anymore.

Finn's very pregnant girlfriend is there as well and Kurt still can't believe Finn is planning to marry the one night stand he has accidentally gotten pregnant. Everyone can tell that they just don't work together, and while he commands him for doing the right thing, he knows a betting pool exists about the longevity of the marriage should they go through with it.

Whenever he sees Finn now it reminds him of the fact that as much as he wants to have biological children with Blaine, he is also glad that they will never have to deal with an unplanned pregnancy.

He keeps himself busy with helping out in the shop the days leading up to his father's parole hearing, reveling in the relative anonymity he still seems to have in Lima. Those who do recognize him mostly look the other way, probably because they don't want attention drawn to the fact that they were less than friendly to him when they were still in school and the vindictive part of him enjoys seeing them working jobs he once told them they would have after high school.

Blaine and Burt both offer to accompany him to the prison when the day arrives, but Kurt knows that this is something he has to do on his own. After handing a guard his cellphone, wallet and other contents of his pockets he is led into a small room where a man is already waiting for him.

Kurt barely recognizes him at first – his hair is a lot greyer, his face not swollen anymore and he actually looks healthy. But his eyes are still the same color as Kurt's and Kurt swallows hard once before sitting down opposite him.

"Thanks for agreeing to meet me Kurt. I know you didn't have to." 

"What's this about?" Kurt asks once he gets his throat working again, stealing himself for any insults that might come his way.

"I didn't ask you here because I want to convince you not to argue against my parole, if this is what you are thinking. If you think I should serve the rest of my time I won't try to convince you otherwise," his father replies and Kurt frowns for a moment because he hadn't even thought of that until his father mentioned it.

"Then why am I here?"

"You're here because I have to apologize to you again. It's part of my twelve step program and even if it weren't, I owe you this much. When I was younger I promised myself I would never become my father, but in the end that was exactly what I became, maybe even worse."

Kurt swallows again. He has never met his paternal grandfather, only knows he died in a car crash long before he was born after he left a bar and lost control of the car. No one ever talked about him, and Kurt so far had believed it was because he would have hated what his son was doing to his grandson.

"What was he like?" Kurt forces himself to ask, because he has read the statistics, knows that victims of abuse sometimes later abuse others as well. It scares him to think of his grandfather like that because what does that mean for him?

"My father was a drunk and he raised me pretty much on his own after my mother ran out on him. He'd come home from the local pub and if something wasn't to his liking at home he would beat me. The worse he got the more I started acting out, which in turn only made him treat me worse. I was dead set on getting out of there, finishing school and getting a decent job, but then I got my high school girlfriend pregnant.

I got out of there all right when he found out, because he kicked me out and so I dropped out of high school and found some low paying job. Her parents didn't want anything to do with us either, because she insisted on keeping your half-brother and at first we seemed to make it work. But I didn't have an education, so I barely made any money. Fell in with the wrong crowd who took me drinking with them and I discovered that alcohol helped me deal with the shitty hand life had dealt me.

I don't know when things started to get out of hand, but I had lost another job, ended up drinking with my buddies before heading home and then there was Cooper's mother, berating me for not trying harder, for being a Lima loser and l lost control and struck her. Cooper must have realized at some point because he started doing things that pissed me off and drew me away from his mother and toward him.

When he was nearly eight, I met this woman in a bar – your mother – and we seemed to just click. She wasn't a nice person, but she didn't make me feel like shit and didn't give a damn if I had a job or not as long as I would buy her drinks every now and then. When Cooper's mother found out I was seeing her, it must have been the last straw for her, because when I got back from the bar the next day, she and Cooper were gone. I got served the divorce papers a few weeks later with instructions to never contact her or Cooper again unless I wanted to deal with the cops.

Your mother and I moved in together and I tried to forget all about them, thought things would be easier now that I didn't have them in my life anymore. Two years later you were born and I thought I'd make it right this time, but then you turned out the way you did and I couldn't deal.

Your mother was convinced we could make you right with a strong hand and so I ended up doing the exact same thing I promised myself I wouldn't do anymore after Cooper. Your mother didn't like striking you herself, she preferred to use her words, but we were both drinking heavily and I thought it was the right thing to do.

I didn't think I was doing anything wrong until I was thrown in jail, got forcibly removed from alcohol and had to attend meetings with a therapist. That's why I pleaded guilty because I knew I was. I had ruined your life, Cooper's life, my first wife's life. Your mother, she stopped visiting once I told her we had been wrong, told me she would take things into her own hands if I was too much of a pussy and that was the last I saw of her apart from the trial. Got divorced again a few months afterward."

Kurt had listened in silence while his father talked because whatever he had expected to hear, this wasn't it.

"Why are you telling me all this? If it's pity you want," he says before trailing off.

"No! The last thing I want is make you feel sorry for me. I just didn't want you to make the same mistakes I made one day. But I can see you are nothing like me. You are stronger, you managed to get out, you found people who actually deserved to have you in their lives. What I'm asking is to stay in contact after I get out if you can find it in your heart to grant me that wish. I don't expect you to give me an answer right now and if you want me to stop writing I will."

Kurt doesn't know what to say to that. He thought he would come and see his father to get closure not to let him back into his life.

"What are you going to do once you get out?" he asks because he doesn't have an answer yet.

"Find a job, continue going to AA meetings. I got my GED while I was in here so I'm hoping a stable job will help me stay sober. I still don't understand everything about you but I'm willing to work on that. I'm willing to learn."

Kurt feels lost. He doesn't know what to do, if he wants to give the man who ruined his childhood and teenage years another chance. He needs someone else's perspective.

So he calls out to the guard in the corner of the room and asks him for a piece of paper and a pen before writing down Burt's address.

"You can write to him once you are out and I'll see if he is willing to talk to you. I trust his opinion a lot and if he thinks you are truthful, then maybe we can start talking again. This is all I can give you for now," he says before getting up to leave.

"Thank you, Kurt. This is more than I hoped for," he hears his father say before he leaves his room.

Later that night, he, Blaine and Burt are sitting in the living room together like old times where Kurt recounts his meeting with his father. Blaine is livid at first, and Kurt understands because he knows how much Blaine hates his parents, but Burt looks thoughtful.

"I'll talk to him," he concedes, "and if I believe he wasn't bullshitting you to get your sympathy I might offer him a job to keep an eye on him if this is something that you want. Only you can decide if you want him in your life, but this is what I can do."

Kurt doesn't know if he wants his father in his life again, but he trusts Burt's judgment. And if Burt thinks his father can be reformed, he might find it in his heart to let him back in one day in the future. 

Spring 2017

SING gets cancelled in its fifth season, but at twenty-four, Kurt is ready to branch out, to play something other than a teenager – though his character is in college by now.

It's Blaine who points him to an audition for something he wanted to be a part of ever since Blaine first introduced him to it. These days Blaine's connections to the music industry do come in handy. After the production had been postponed for years, a different studio had picked up the movie rights to 'Wicked' and as it is, they are in the market for a new Fiyero because some of the original Broadway cast feel to old to reprise their roles.

Winning one Golden Globe and two Emmys has given him the confidence to go for things he wants. He's routinely been praised for his voice while he was still on the show and with the help of a vocal coach has expanded his range even further.

If it were up to him, he'd be auditioning for Elphaba, but when he gets a call back after his first audition he is still ecstatic and he and Blaine celebrate by spending the weekend in San Francisco, staying in the same bed and breakfast they had all those years ago.

It's nice to get away from the paparazzi and the media for a weekend, because now that the public knows about the end of SING, they all want to know what Kurt Hummel is planning to do next. His fans especially have been pretty much tweeting him non-stop ever since it was announced that their current season will be the last, and some days he can't believe how many people have come to love his character.

Blaine's favorite place to look him up on is still Tumblr though Kurt mostly just gets weirded out when Blaine shows him porn written about them or Kurt's character. But he doesn't judge. It's not like he never had fantasies about the yummy 'True Blood' vampires and he knows that Blaine occasionally reads Harry Potter fan fiction. It's just weird to read stories about himself or what people think he and Blaine do in bed.

When they return from their weekend trip, Kurt's happy to hear he has gotten a second call back, and before SING even airs its last episode, he has signed on as Fiyero in the film version of the musical.

It's bitter sweet, saying goodbye to the cast and crew, after spending most of his time with them for the past five years, but he has made some great new friends and knows they will stay in contact as much as their schedules allow.

Before filming starts for him and Blaine has to go back to the studio to record the score for a new television series, they fly home to Ohio for a few weeks, to attend Tina and Mike's wedding.

After many ups and downs the couple finally had reunited during Mike's senior year and are now the first after Finn to get married. As predicted, Finn's marriage hadn't even lasted a year, but he and his ex-wife had agreed on joint custody and both he and Blaine can't wait to see their niece again.

Kurt doesn't even think about it when he and Blaine drop by the garage to surprise Burt as they have managed to get an earlier flight, so when he comes face-to-face with his father, he freezes for a moment. It's not that he didn't know about it, but apart from a few letters there hasn't been any contact between them – only Burt's updates on his behavior and sobriety.

Blaine doesn't look too happy either, but public Blaine is nothing but polite – even to the most obnoxious paparazzi – so he puts on a fake smile and holds out his hand in greeting.

"Mr. Anderson. I hope you are well," his boyfriend tells his father, who at least looks uncomfortable as well.

Fortunately Burt shows up before the situation can get worse, sending his father back to work while Burt takes him and Blaine out for dinner.

"So, how is he doing?" he asks once they are seated in a small diner and Kurt is hidden from view by Burt's bulky frame.

"So far, so good. He's been checking in with his parole officer, going to AA meetings and so far he's proven to be a good worker. Been taking him to PFLAG meetings for the last couple of months and he's been on his best behavior."

So nothing has changed since Burt's last update and Kurt still doesn't know what to do with the information.

"You don't have to see him if you don't want to, Kurt. I'm keeping an eye on him like I promised, but you don't owe him anything," Burt reminds him when Kurt remains silent.

"Has he been asking about me?" he asks after the waitress left with their orders and Burt nods. "About you and Blaine both after I made sure he understood that the two of you are a package deal and that that wasn't going to change."

In the end, he and Blaine agree to go to dinner with Paul, after he tells Blaine that PDA will most certainly be appreciated. Because his father might be okay with them as a couple on paper, but he needs to see his reaction when he and Blaine are together and actually acting like a couple.

They meet at a small restaurant outside of town, because if this turns ugly, Kurt doesn't need any witnesses who might recognize him and sell the story to the papers.

Paul, because Kurt can't and won't call him dad anymore, is already waiting for them when they walk in hand in hand and while they attract some stares from the other guests, his father's face stays blank when they walk up.

"Kurt, Blaine. Thank you for joining me," he tells them before they all sit down, he and Blaine opposite Paul. They don't show much affection anymore in places where they know they will be photographed, but they go all out during dinner, with Blaine wiping sauce from the corner of his mouth with his thumb and repeatedly kissing his cheeks and lips during dinner.

If his father is disgusted by their display he doesn't show it, mostly asking questions about their life in L.A and about how they are doing in general. The dinner is no disaster, but Kurt still never fully relaxes, always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

There are no agreements to meet again in the future or to stay in contact, but Kurt also doesn't say no when Paul asks if it is okay if he keeps writing. Because as much as the man has hurt him, he has loved him once too, and if his father can truly change then maybe all the other homophobes out there can be reformed as well. He might be naïve to think that, but unfortunately Kurt Hummel is an optimist these days.

* * *

 Nearly everyone of the old and new New Directions shows up for the weeding a few days later and there are a few surprises. Santana and Brittany seem to be on again after splitting up while Brittany went on tour with a new pop sensation and Rachel is wearing an engagement ring, put on her finger by none other than Jesse St. James.

It reminds him that he really needs to talk to her more often because the last he heard she was dating some guy she had met at NYU. Fortunately, Rachel is doing well for herself in New York. She might not be on Broadway yet, but is nearly constantly employed, doing off-Broadway plays and musicals.

Both Santana and a newly single Quinn are heading to grad school in the fall, while new film school graduate Artie is working on his first screen play, after Kurt had helped him get a few jobs on the set of SING.

Mike and Tina's wedding is beautiful and a lot more modern than he has expected, but apparently Tina had put her foot down when it came to the wedding planning. He knows Blaine wants to get married in Ohio if or when they ever do, but as long as they still can't it's not a topic they talk about. Doesn't mean he doesn't think about it when he watches Tina and Mike exchange their rings.

Things change however a few months later, and they nearly miss the announcement because they are both in Vancouver – Kurt filming and Blaine visiting him on set. After the Obama administration had started the process, president Clinton had finally done what during Kurt's high school time had been unthinkable.

Five days after DOMA gets repealed and subsequently same-sex marriage is made legal in all fifty states, Blaine goes down on one knee in front of him on his day off and asks the question, teenage Kurt had thought he would never hear. As they are both only twenty-four and twenty-three, they agree on a long engagement – after Kurt has cried himself out and showered his fiancé with kisses – making plans to get married a few years down the road.

Back in L.A. they move into a bigger house, still relatively small but big enough for Blaine to have his own recording studio at home, so he can work on projects without having to leave the house.

And because they are both too young to get married or even think about kids, Kurt finally relents when Blaine asks about pets again. Originally, they only have plans to get a dog, but when they are at a shelter and Blaine immediately falls in love with a two year old Golden Retriever, they end up going home with a kitten as well, who has latched herself onto the dog since the day she was found on the side of the road. Kurt has never thought of himself as a cat or dog person, but it soon becomes clear that while the dog – Perry – loves Blaine, their new kitten seems particularly fond of him. Blaine's idea had been to name her Gaga because she was Kurt's idol, but Kurt had protested and named her after his latest obsession – Queenie.

Things are good for them over the next few years with Blaine making a name for himself as a composer and Kurt finally successfully managing to make the jump to the big screen in 2021, after having a lead role in a sit-com about a group of college aged friends – described as 'Friends 2.0' by many critics.

Spring 2022

In the spring of 2022, he and Kurt fly out to Ohio to attend yet another wedding, but this time it's theirs. Over the last few years they have attended two more New Direction weddings – Rachel and Jesse the previous year after they found out she was pregnant – and Artie's and the girlfriend's he met in L.A but was from Ohio originally as well – and Blaine is beyond happy that it's finally their turn after a five-year engagement.

They have cast Finn's six-year-old daughter Hailey as their flower girl and have rented out the Westerville country club for the ceremony. As much as they wanted to have a simple wedding in a park, they both agreed that Kurt's too famous for that now and that they needed to host it somewhere where they could have security in place to keep the photographers out.

As is tradition by now, the New Directions are taking care of the musical part of their wedding and reception and he knows Kurt is beyond excited that Blaine has composed a song that Grammy nominee Mercedes Jones is performing for them. After he had helped her with her first album, Mercedes had asked him to produce her second one as well, but unfortunately he had to decline because of how in demand he is nowadays. In the public eye he is nowhere near as famous as Kurt is, but he has managed to make a name for himself over the years and loves his job.

Rachel and Jesse are the first ones to arrive, their six months old son Jamie in tow, and watching Kurt play with the infant just reminds him of how much he wants that with Kurt one day. But for now, Kurt has his strict no kids before thirty rule in place, because he's afraid he won't get hired as much when he gets older, though he still looks like he is barely twenty in Blaine's opinion.

Mike and Tina are parents as well now of a beautiful two year old girl and if rumors are true, Puck's going to be a father soon as well. Puck has never struck him as the marrying type but he and his girlfriend have been in a stable relationship for over two years now, so he is happy for him as well.

Brittany and Santana arrive separately but Blaine knows by now that it's only a question of time until those two are together again. He couldn't be prouder of his friend though as Santana is currently preparing for her bar exam.

After months of planning, everything runs smoothly to his relief and if he and Kurt both choke up a bit during their vows, who could blame them. Eleven years together and Kurt can still bring him to tears with his love for him.

Kurt looks radiant and his smile stretches wide when they finally exchange rings and officially become the Hummel family. There has never been any discussion about using Kurt's birth name after they are married because Kurt hasn't been Kurt Anderson in a long time. His boyfriend might not have legally changed his names over the years because he wanted to wait for their wedding, but apart from his driver's license and his passport, Kurt's been a Hummel pretty much since Blaine's dad had taken him in.

They share a long and passion filled kiss in front of all their family and friends, only breaking apart when someone – probably Santana – cat calls and Blaine vows to do his best to make Kurt always smile like that.

When Mercedes takes the stage some time later, he leads his husband out on the dance floor where they share their first dance as a married couple to the sounds of Blaine's love song for Kurt.

They are sitting at one of the tables in the back, feeding one another pieces of cake, when Kurt's father approaches them. Cooper, upon seeing his father, immediately gets up and leaves and Blaine understands him too well. They didn't argue a lot, but it had been cause for an argument when Kurt had told him he wanted to invite his father to their wedding. He knows Kurt had been surprised the man had even shown up even though they had been talking more over the past years and had met him when they were in Ohio, so Blaine just pushes his still negative feelings about him to the back of his mind and invites him to sit down.

"Just wanted to say thank you for inviting me. I'm glad I got to see Kurt so happy, but I need to head back to the shop now. Promised Burt to finish some stuff for him and all that booze here isn't easy to be around as a recovering alcoholic."

"I'm happy you came," Kurt replies and Blaine knows he means it. He also needs to accept that Kurt wants his father is his life to some extent. Because Kurt has always been forgiving, even to people who don't deserve it in his opinion, but Blaine loves that his husband has such a big heart.

But if Paul steps one toe out of line he'll make sure he never bothers Kurt again.

They dance the evening and night away after Paul leaves before collapsing on their old bed in Blaine's old room, too tired and a bit too tipsy to do much. Burt drives them to the airport the next morning for their flight to a small island in the Caribbean another actor has recommended to Kurt. Before they can pass security he stops them though. 

"There's something I wanted to say for years now, but I didn't want to be presumptuous. Kurt, you've been my son for many years and now that it's official I would be honored if you would call me dad."

There are tears in Kurt's eyes when he briefly takes off his sunglasses to wipe his eyes, but the smile on his face tells them both how happy Kurt is.

"I'd love that," he replies before his dad and Kurt embrace one another again. Kurt doesn't stop smiling until they arrive at the small airport in the Caribbean and they are informed that their luggage hasn't arrived yet.

Blaine's not too bothered though. His honeymoon plans had never featured Kurt in clothes anyway.

2024

They both work hard over the next two years, Kurt taking on a supporting role in Artie's second film, for which Blaine is writing the music, but when more and more of their friends start having babies, they sit down together and have a discussion about what they want to do.

Finding an egg donor they both agree on is surprisingly easy once they make the decision to have a child, but just when they think they found the perfect surrogate, Kurt gets an offer to be in a play on Broadway.

Being on Broadway has always been his dream and is one of the few that haven't come true yet.

"We can still do it," Blaine tells him over dinner when Kurt admits that he wants to do the play. "She isn't pregnant yet and by the time the play is over the baby would nearly be here."

Kurt shakes his head though. "I know it might sound stupid, but I want to be part of the pregnancy. I want to be there for ultrasound appointments, want to see our baby grow. And I can't do that if our surrogate is in L.A and I am in New York."

"You mean when we are in New York. I'm nearly done with the music for Artie and I don't have any projects lined up that require me to be in L.A all the time."

It's Rachel who ultimately offers them a solution to their problem. They are in New York so Kurt can meet the cast and crew of the play before rehearsal starts and they take her, Jesse and Jamie out for dinner afterward.

"Thinking about kids yet?" Rachel asks when Blaine can't stop playing with two-year-old Jamie and Kurt sighs.

"We are actually. We had everything worked out but with me moving to New York for the next ten months, we need a new surrogate, because I don't want to miss anything."

They talk a bit more about the topic while Jesse and Blaine entertain Jamie, but it still comes as a huge surprise when Rachel calls a few days later and offers to be their surrogate.

"Are you sure about that Rachel? What about work?" 

"I need a break. I missed so much of Jamie's life already and I want to take a few months off to spend with my son."

Rachel had gotten her break in 'Funny Girl' shortly after Jamie had been born and had been in high demand during the last two years. It was something he worried about himself, that he would miss out on things being at work, while Blaine worked from home and watched their kid, but they had promised each other to find a way to make it work.

"Well, if you are sure and Jesse is okay with it I'm going to ask the agency here for a doctor in New York and we can talk more when Blaine and I come up in two weeks to check out a few apartments."

Rachel doesn't back down and so, three months later, they all head to the doctor's office for her first ultrasound after the pregnancy was confirmed.

Kurt's pretty proud he doesn't faint when the doctor tells them about the two heart beats, but he does spend the next two hours apologizing to Rachel for knocking her up with twins.

They had decided to do what Rachel's dads had done – mixing their sperm - and whoever wasn't the bio dad the first time around, would be for their second child. Three kids were never the plan, so whoever fathered the twins, Kurt will be happy with it. He doesn't need to be his children's biological father to love them, he is sure of it.

Rachel gives birth early December, two weeks before Kurt's show closes and he knows his understudy is going to be ecstatic when he hears that he can do the rest of the shows.

They leave the hospital two days later with a boy with Kurt's eyes and nose and a baby girl that already has a full head of hair, curly like Blaine's. They name the girl Ella Elizabeth, after Blaine's mom and the boy Jake Elijah because they like the names.

The whole Hudmel clan comes out to spend Christmas with them in New York because they are hesitant to fly with their two week old babies, before returning home in late January, missing the Golden Globes where both Kurt and Artie are winners.

When it is announced that both Kurt and Blaine are nominated for an Oscar they invite Burt and Carole to L.A because they don't want to leave the twins with strangers for the night and both Burt and Carole immediately agree because they want to see as much of the babies as possible.

Kurt doesn't win that year, but Blaine wins an Oscar for best original score for Artie's film.

In March they fly to Ohio for a few weeks to get away from their crazy life in L.A, spending lots of time with Finn, his new girlfriend and Finn's daughter. After many debates, Kurt decides to let his father see his kids – supervised of course because the fear that it is all an act is still there and will probably always be.

Back in L.A. he, Artie and Blaine team up for another film, but Kurt's happy when filming ends because he doesn't want to miss his kids first words or other important milestones.

The twins' first birthday is celebrated in Los Angeles that year because they are hosting Christmas again in their own home – a larger house they moved into after they came back from New York – with their friends and family in attendance.

To Kurt's surprise Santana and Brittany come up to him during the party to ask him to help them getting pregnant, but he ultimately refers them to the agency they used because he doesn't want to be related to kids that aren't his. He had told Rachel the same thing when she had offered them her eggs, because it was less complicated this way. He and Blaine do congratulate the girls though on finally being back together and being willing to fully commit.

2026

The following year, Kurt wins an Academy Award for best supporting actor, and he is getting more offers than ever, but when a London based theater company contacts him and invites him to audition for the rivival of 'Phantom of the Opera', he doesn't hesitate and flies to London to meet with the producers and to audition.

They move to London in 2027 with their three year old twins when Kurt gets cast as the phantom, finding a nice house on the outskirts of London, because they want a backyard for the kids to play in. Kurt hires a young French girl as their nanny, hoping the kids will pick up the language while she is taking care of them.

Being on stage doing a musical is a dream come true for Kurt, one that finally comes true for him at the 'ripe' age of thirty-four. When the musical closes they don't move back to the States immediately, having grown quite fond of London even though the weather sometimes is just nasty, especially compared to what they are used to in L.A.

Kurt finds work with two movies filmed just outside of London, while Blaine is writing the musical he had promised Kurt he would write for them when they were in their teens.

2029

They return to the US after two years of living in London, settling in L.A again because the kids are starting school and they don't want to uproot them once they make friends in school. Marie, their French nanny has come back with them, because the kids adore her, and both he and Blaine are not fans of leaving their kids with random babysitters when they have to go out at night.

Marie stays with Ella and Jake when they fly to New York for the premiere of Kurt's newest movie and a few talk show interviews. It's on their first night there that the run into someone Kurt has never expected to run into in New York of all places.

David Karofsky, is holding hands with a tall man and a young boy who looks so much like him and can only be his child.

Kurt doesn't know what he expected to feel should he ever run into his former bully again, but now that he sees him with his family, he is happy for him, happy he got out as well.

Karofsky introduces his companions as his husband Marcus and son John, before he asks them to go ahead because there's something he needs to tell Kurt and Blaine.

"My husband, he knows all about my past, but there are things I don't need my son to know," he says when Kurt raises an eyebrow, probably unseen however as his eyes are hidden behind sunglasses.

"I'm glad things worked out for you as well, but I have to say, I never imagined seeing you in New York."

Karofsky chuckles for a moment before he explains. "We live in Connecticut not New York. We are actually here for your film premiere because Markus is a big fan of yours."

Kurt nods before taking a quick look around to make sure people didn't overhear what Karofsky said about him.

"You said you had something to say to us? What is it?" Blaine interjected, keeping his vice grip on Kurt's arm.

"I wanted to apologize to both of you, but especially Kurt. I was horrible to you and you of all people didn't deserve that. I hated myself and I took it out on you because I could. And worst of all I tried to force you to like me because I knew it wouldn't happen any other way, that you would never say yes to me if I just asked nicely."

Kurt nods once, because it is the truth. Nothing would have ever happened between the two of them if it were up to Kurt.

"How have you been after you left McKinley?" Kurt asks because Karofsky isn't in the closet anymore, is a married man and father now and he wants to know how he got there.

"I think reform school was the best thing that could have happened to me, because it made me realize that I didn't want to be like all those other guys there. All I wanted to be was happy and I knew that if I continued on the path I was on this was never going to happen.

I moved out east for college, not a fancy one but far away from Lima, and I came out, because everyone was telling me that people in college wouldn't care. My dad was supportive when he found out and our relationship is so much better these days. My mom, she didn't take it well, called me some horrible names but they are divorced now and I haven't seen her in years."

It's weird to know they have experiences they share, that they have both come out on top even though things weren't easy for them when they were young.

Kurt never hears from his mother again – not that he wants to after all he discovered about her – but he and his father have tentatively rebuilt a relationship since Paul was released from prison in 2016. Afterward, he was there for the major events in his life.

When his mother dies from an overdose, Kurt doesn't find out until three months after it happened and he doesn't feel anything. No sadness, no relief, it's like mourning a stranger.

When his father, who his kids call grandpa, passes in early 2031 after his second heart attack, Kurt does shed some tears because Paul had worked hard to make things right in the second half of Kurt's life. He'll never forget what he did to him when he was a child, but Paul had kept his promise and hadn't let him down again.

Even Cooper shows up for the service, though he and their father never reconciled during his lifetime. 'It's not the same', Cooper used to tell him when Kurt asked him if he was mad that Kurt was talking to Paul. 'He hasn't been my father for a long time and I honestly didn't think I'll ever see him again. But I won't judge you if you want to give him a second chance.'

There aren't many people at the service other than the Hudson – Hummel family and a few mechanics from the garage and it's kind of sad because his father had done his best to be a good guy for the past fifteen years.

He stands in front of the casket a bit longer, while everyone else files out of church. "Are you coming, kiddo?" Burt calls out to him, Ella and Jake each holding one of his hands, and Kurt nods. 

"Be right out, dad," he calls back before turning to the casket in front of him again.

He's never said it during the years he and his father have rebuilt their relationship, because he was never sure if he really did. And his father had never asked for it and hadn't argued when Kurt and Blaine never let him be around the kids on his own.

Kurt isn't religious, he doesn't believe in God, so when he says it it's not for some religious reason, he doesn't want to absolve his father of his sins. No, this is for him, to find his own peace, the closure he wanted all those years ago.

"I forgive you," he tells the casket before turning around and walking out of the church, where Blaine is waiting with their two seven-year-olds, and Burt is holding Carole in his arms while Finn is scolding his fifteen-year-old for running off to meet her friends.

They are all the family he has now, but it doesn't make him sad, because he is so incredibly lucky to have them.

Meeting Blaine during recess when they were kids was the best thing that ever happened to him, changed his life for the better and he doesn't even want to know where he would be right now if they hadn't met. Maybe it would be him in the casket.

Now surrounded by his family - Blaine, Jake, Ella, Burt, Carole, Finn and Hailey - he thinks that he's had a pretty good life regardless of how it had started it out.

These days, Kurt Anderson was just somebody that he used to know.

 

-FIN-

**Author's Note:**

> That's it for now. Thanks for reading, kudos and comments!


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